New Views on an Old Planet A History of Global Change

About this book

In this revised edition of this award-winning book on the Earth's history, the author expands and updates the original text. The book examines the major changes in the Earth's history - the evolution of the solid Earth, the changing oceans and atmospheres and the progression of life - to render an historical account of the Earth's evolution.

Contents

Part I. Foundations: 1. Reading the record of the rocks; 2. Perspective on time; Part II. Climate Past and Present: The Ice Age: 3. Climate and climate change; 4. Portrait of an ice age; 5. Explaining glaciations; Part III. Drifting Continents, Rising Mountains: 6. Continental drift and plate tectonics; 7. Continental breakup and continental drift; 8. Converging plates and colliding continents; Part IV. Changing Oceans, Changing Climates: 9. The sea comes in, the sea goes out; 10. Other times and other oceans; 11. Onward to the ice age; 12. A matter of rhythm; Part V. The Four-Billion-Year Childhood: 13. Birth of the solid earth; 14. Water for the sea, air for the atmosphere; 15, The dawn of life; Part VI. Life, Time and Change: 16. Beyond Darwin; 17. Bones of our ancestors; 18. Evolution and environment; 19. Crises and catastrophes.

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